


I'm Alive

by DarkAlpha67



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Boxing, Bullying, Distant Parents, Emotion and Physical Bullying, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Erica Reyes- Centric, Gen, Hints of Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Hopeful Ending, Jokes That Might Offend Readers, M/M, Mention of epilepsy, Not Canon Compliant, background stiles stilinski/derek hale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9402935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAlpha67/pseuds/DarkAlpha67
Summary: A story of Erica Reyes as she battles through hardships and comes out stronger in the end.An Erica-centric fic as she goes from the shy, silent girl to the confident girl we all know and love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> An AU that is not Canon Compliant, based on the transformation Erica went through in Teenwolf but without the gift of the bite.
> 
> This story was inspired by a girl I knew who went through similar trials and fought against bullying to become the girl she is now.

Being invisible…

By definition invisible meant unable to be seen.

Erica is invisible in every sense of the word but by sight. People see her, they watch her every move. From the moment she enters the school halls to the end when she walks out.

They see her and they comment on what they see.

They comment on things about her that she wishes she can change. From the messy blonde hair down to her dirty sneakers. From a condition that she cannot be faulted for to the stutter that she can. (Or so she has been told).

She has no friends and why would she? She can barely speak to the people at home, how can she have the courage to start a conversation with strangers that would judge her the moment she opened her mouth?

She has no one to turn to, not at school, not at home…

The students at Beacon Hills love her… But not for the reasons she wished.

She has been their target since day one. The Senior’s that will eventually leave the school, take pleasure in humiliating her, mocking her seizures as she walks by and then laughing behind her back as she ducks her head to hide her tears.

The Freshmans' takes the torch when her previous tormentor’s leave.

She wants to complain, report them to the principle but first she goes to her parents, hoping they could give her some guidance.

They don’t.

So she continues as she is… the invisible girl who everyone can see.

 

                                              ***

 

As she sits down at the one empty lunch table that there is, she ignores the whispers and the stares. They aren’t directed at her but after years of mean words and hurtful actions, she’s always aware of those around her.

Erica nibbles on a piece of apple, taking small tiny bites as she hides behind her hair.

The chair at her table crapes and she looks up with a start to the blank, cold eyes of Lydia Martin. She feels her heart stutter and looks around to see if the people that Lydia always hangs out are around but she sees them all seated farther away.

“You know, if you put in a little effort you can actually change this whole homeless girl thing you’ve got going on.”

Erica looks down at her sweats and shirts. It’s the only thing she wears, her parents thinks it’s better if she wears clothes that can be easily removed if or when she has an… accident.

“I mean I can give you some, because honey, you will never get a guy dressed like that. And nobody is going to take you seriously if you don’t take pride in your appearance.”

Erica only stares at Lydia who gives her a smirk in return.

“Besides do you really wanna go through the whole school year known as Epileptic Erica?”

With one last nod, Lydia stands up, flips her red hair over her shoulder before she walks away. Erica remains where she is, staring at the vacant chair, feeling the lump in her throat already forming.

When she leaves that day, Lydia’s words keep replaying in her head over and over and over and over.

_Dressed like that._

_Take pride in your appearance._

_Nobody is going to take you seriously._

_Known as Epileptic Erica…_

She gets home on time and her parents are in the kitchen as usual.

Erica makes her way over to them, giving them a watery smile as she leans in to kiss her mother and father on their cheeks.

“How was school?” Her father asks.

“It was fine.” She croaks out.

Her father nods and returns to his newspaper. Her mother gives her a smile and returns to the cooking.

She waits for a small beat before speaking.

“Well, I’m going to go do my homework.”

Her mother looks over to her smiles. “Okay, honey.”

Erica smiles at her, feeling her cheeks quivering from the efforts and she turns around and makes her way to her room. Her stomach tightens and she feels sick but she swallows down the lump in her throat and force that tears that threaten to spill back down.

She does her homework in silence, her music playing in the background. When her mother calls for her to come down to dinner, she puts all her books away and makes her way down the stairs. She can hear the TV playing and knows her father is watching his sports. Her mother sits in the chair by the dining table and Erica silently joins her.

“So how was work, mom?” Erica asks as she dishes herself some food.

Her mother then goes off on a tangent about her colleges and the funniest things that happened that day, all the while Erica nods and smiles. Her father later walks by with an empty plate in his hand but that doesn’t stop her mother’s story.

Soon dinner is over and Erica thanks her mom, giving her a kiss good night and makes her way to her father to do the same.

His eyes never leaves the screen.

As she gets dressed, she hears her parents shuffling in the bathroom, getting ready for bed. Erica pauses as she puts on a new clean shirt, listening as one bedroom door opens and closes. Then the other.

She smiles sadly to herself, as she finish getting ready for bed, holding that smile until she closes her eyes, forcing the tightening feeling in her stomach away.

 

                                            ***

 

“Hey, Erica.”

She looks over from her seat to see Stiles sit down next her. They have Calculus together and he, along with his friend Scott, are one of the few people who do not speak badly about her.

“Yes?” She asks softly.

“Have you gotten to your applications yet?”

“Uh, no I haven’t… And- and you?”

Stiles shakes his head. “Nah, I’m thinking of becoming a deputy though.”

Erica nods. “That’s nice…”

“Yo, Stiles!”

Erica watches as Stiles looks away and over to Scott as he makes his way over to them. He nods to her in greeting before turning back to Stiles.

“So, I just ran into Coach…”

And just like that, she is forgotten.

She doesn’t blame them though, they are both invested in lacrosse and while they both see her… Neither of them truly notice her.

The class ends and the students all file out of class. Erica remains seated, waiting for the last person to leave as they all have a tendency to shove her aside to get to the door. After numerous bruises from being shoved against the sharp corners of their desks, Erica has learned that she should simply just wait until they are all gone before she too stands up.

She spends the day thinking about Stiles and what he said.

College.

She has always seen herself helping those in need, to be an ear for those who so desperately wished to be heard.

So, when she gets home Erica sits down with her mother and father and discuss her options and the career path she has chosen.

“Really, Erica?” Her mother asks. “You want to study psychology?”

Erica gives her mom a hopeful and slightly proud smile. She has always wanted to be psychologist, since she was a little girl.

“Erica, are you sure?” Her father ask skeptically.

The tightening in her stomach returns and Erica forces herself to nod.

“They don’t get a lot of money, Erica. I mean do you really want to spend your whole life listening to people’s problems?” He asks, leaning forward, resting his arms on the table.

She wants to nod but she can’t.

“Erica, honey, I think we should all sit down much later and go through all you’re options okay? That way you can see what you really want to do.”

Her mother nods and gives her an encouraging smile.

Her father merely stares at her.

Erica forces her lips up and gives her parents a firm nod.

“Wonderful.” Her mother says before looking down at her watch. “I, uh, I have to go. The girls are mostly likely waiting.”

Erica stares at her mother and frowns. “Where are you going?”

“Out, a few of my colleagues are going for drinks.”

Her mother smiles, stands up, and gives her a small peck on her forehead before rushing out the house, grabbing her coat and car keys on the way out.

The door closes and the house falls silent.

“You got homework?” Her father asks, looking at her.

Erica nods her head. “Yeah, only cal.”

“Okay, you go do that.” He says as he stands up and moves towards the fridge to pull put a beer. “There are leftovers from last night if you are hungry.”

She nods to her father, watching as he makes his way toward the living room and then soon the familiar sound of sports on the TV fills the silence. Erica says nothing more and makes her way up to her room. The moment she enters, she closes the door and locks it.

She moves to her bed, pulls out her homework, thinking about her other options and what jobs her parents would recommend for her.

 

                                           ***

 

Erica makes her way down the hallway in embarrassment. She has changed out of her soiled clothes into clean ones but unfortunately, she has to go to her locker to retrieve her bag. She can hear the sniggering, she can feel the way people stare and whisper about her as they all stare down at their phones.

She feels tears pour down her face, and Erica shuts her eyes tightly in an attempt to block everything out; To stop the tears from flowing, to block out the harsh sounds of everyone’s mingled voices as they all laugh at her and judge her for something she has no control over her.

“Hey, come on.” She hears someone say.

She stumbles back and whips around to meet to the caring and kind eyes of Stiles. He turns to glare at a group of jocks as they all start to make snide comments.

“Really, Stilinski? Her? Out of everyone, you had to choice to the girl who can barely keep her pants dry.”

“Yeah, tell us? Does she get pissed often?”

Everyone starts laughing once more and Erica turns around, her hands trembling as she tries to desperately open her locker to get her things so she can leave. Her heart throbs painfully within her chest, her lips raw as she bites down on them to keep the sob that threatens to escape in.

“Why don’t you go screw yourself and shut the fuck up, McGarret?”

Stiles turns around and helps her get her stuff out. She numbly takes it, forcing her body to move as Stiles wraps an arm around her and walks with her down the hall away.

“Just walk, okay. Just ignore them and walk.”

Someone shoves her, causing her to lose her footing, stumble over her own feet and crash down against the hard floors. Her body burns with pain as her hip slams against the floor.

“Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with you?!” Stiles shouts.

She feels her body tremble but she forces eyes open and her body to move. She reaches for her fallen books but hands come into view and helps her.

She glances up, seeing that it’s Scott.

He gives her a small smile as he gathers half her stuff as Erica forces herself up with the rest of it. Her hip throbs and she shifts a bit on her legs to ease the pressure.

An arm wraps around her once more and guides her down the hall.

She looks down at her feet, using her hair as a shield, hindering her view of everyone around her. She just follows Stiles as he walks with her to the office, never once dropping his arm.

They take a seat in one of the chairs and Erica busies herself by shoving her books into her bag, something she should have done the first time instead of holding them all in her arms.

“Thanks.” She mutters, continuing to look down as she shoves her last book in her bag.

“It’s not a problem, believe me.”

They sit in silence with Erica looking down at her hands, playing with her fingers as she chews on her bottom lip and Stiles remaining seated, occasionally glancing over at her.

“You know… You don’t have to stay here with me.”

Stiles’ head snaps over to her and his eyes widen in shock. He quickly regains his composure by shaking his head and looking down, blinking. When he looks up, his eyes are soft and kind.

“I would feel better if I knew you got home safely.”

She gives him a small smile and nods.

Stiles clears his throat, shifting in his seat as he pull something out from his back pocket.

“Listen, uh, I don’t meant to pry or over step anything but… I heard that boxing and stuff can help you with… inner turmoil.”

Erica freezes up.

“It’s something that help clear your mind and get you centered and stuff…” He shifts uncomfortably. “Anyway, if you ever feel like going to gym or something, my boyfriend owns this gym and I’m sure he can help train you.”

Stiles reaches over and hands her a piece of paper. She takes it cautiously, opening the folded paper and see’s two numbers on it.

“That’s his gym’s number but if you don’t feel comfortable going alone, my number is at the bottom. You can just call me and I’ll take you there.”

They stare at each other for a long time after he is done.

Erica feels the lump in her throat grow and her eyes start burning. With shaky hands, she folds the paper and encloses her fist around it, her knuckles whitening with how tightly she grips onto the piece of paper.

She swallows, forcing her words out.

“Thank you, Stiles.”

 

                                               ***

 

“Okay, remember to rotate your hips a little more, when you deliver the punches.”

Erica nods. She shifts a little, holding her fists in front of her as she has been instructed before she punches the red sand-filled bag hanging in front of her.

She locks eyes with Derek as he nods in approval.

He holds the bag firmly between his hands as Erica continues to deliver half-hearted punches. She swallows every time her gloved covered fists connects with the bag, glancing up at Derek every now and then to make sure she is doing it right.

“Okay, Erica, try to put more force into the punches.” Derek instructs.

Though his words are direct, his tone is soft and encouraging.

It has been two weeks since the day she entered the gym and two weeks since Derek has started training her. He makes sure he is the only one who trains her. Meaning that when Erica arrives after school, she has time to do her homework.

“Okay.” She nods, twisting her body a little to the side before she punches the bag, putting more strength into it.

Her fist connects and Derek, along with the bag, shifts back just a little.

“Whoa!” Derek exclaims, his eyes wide and a grin forming on his lips. “Where the hell did that come from? Have you been holding out on me?”

Her cheeks warm up and she feels her lips tug into a shy smile.

“Okay, now use that hidden Hulk strength and take it out on the bag…” He’s smiles dims. “Did I just call you the Hulk?”

A laughter bubbles out from her and Derek smiles at her. She shakes her head at him, turning her attention back to the bag, punching it with the previous strength she had used. Derek leans against the bag a little, holding onto it more firmly, pressing his face the side of the bag as Erica delivers punch after punch.

She's already sweating through the loose tank top, Derek had suggested she wear. She has time to shower here and change back into her school clothes, after she is done with her training.

The doorbell shims and both Derek and her look over to see Stiles walk in, a few fries hanging from his mouth. He looks over to them, waving his hand before he makes his way over to one of the bench’s, a laptop bag hanging off his shoulder.

“Damn, does he ever stop eating?” Derek mutters under his breath.

Erica scoffs at him.

He turns to look at her, his green eyes locking onto her. “End of break, let’s go.”

Her smile vanishes and her features tightens as Erica once again focuses on the punching bag. Her arms ache, and her thighs quiver slightly as she boxes. She feels the world around her blur, the red bag being the only things she sees. The sounds of the other few occupants becomes almost non-existent. She feels every punch she gives, her arms shaking from the impact and she twists her body as Derek said.

_Never stand in one position._

_Move with your body, not just you’re arms._

_Keep your legs apart._

With every punch, the voices change.

_Erica, baby, image isn’t everything…_

_Erica, we will discuss this later…_

_Erica, you’re never gonna get a guy like that…_

_Erica, this isn’t you…_

_Who’re trying to impress…_

_Might as well give up._

_Give up…_

_Impress…_

_Fail…_

_Help…_

_Erica…_

_Erica…_

“Erica!”

She stops punching, her chest heaving with each gasp of air she inhales. Erica looks up to Derek, his dark thick eyebrows pulling together, his green eyes running over her face as if searching for something.

“Yeah?” She asks, wetting her dry throat with a thick swallow.

“Nothing.” Derek smiles and shakes his head. “I was just telling you that you can stop. Training is over and besides it’s time you got home, while it’s still light out.

She looks around her, seeing the whole gym is empty aside for Derek and Stiles and another guy who is sweeping the gym floors.

“Sorry… I spaced out.” She apologizes to Derek.

“That’s alright… That’s good even. It’s better to ignore the outside world, that way whatever is going on inside your head will be let out when you box. How you feeling anyway?”

“Tired.” She says, moving to loosen the straps on the boxing gloves.

“But?” Derek encourages.

Erica pauses, forcing her mind to rest as she looks for the anxious feeling that causes her stomach to tighten into uncomfortable knots.

The knot is gone and her muscles feels loose. Her body feels relaxed and her mind for once… is silent.

“I feel… calm.”

Derek lips tug into a grin, revealing his two front bunny teeth.

“Then my work here is done.” He grins at her, nodding over to the chair where her water bottle and towel is. “Chill for a bit and then hit the showers.”

She nods with a smile and walks to over to the chair. She grabs the towel first, wiping away the sweat on her face and her neck, before wrapping the whole thing around her neck. She grabs the water bottle, taking small sips as she turns to watch Derek and Stiles.

She was shocked when she first saw Derek, because the man was clearly older than Stiles but after watching them interact with one another, she saw it.

Stiles has abandoned his laptop and is now standing in front of Derek who is drinking from his own water bottle. Stiles says something, his arms waving everywhere as he passionately explains something to the gym owner. Derek nods and says something in return.

Erica watches in amusement as Stiles stops and stares at Derek with his mouth hanging open. He says something again only this time, Stiles breaks out into a boxing stance, with his hands out in front of his. Derek just stands there as Stiles mocks rights and lefts, punching the air in front of Derek.

A small smile forms on her lips as she continues to watch them.

“They are funny as hell to watch, right?”

She jumps and turns around to see the guy that had been sweeping the gym before. He isn’t looking at her though, his eyes remain on Stiles and Derek as he grins at them.

“I mean, you should have seem Derek before he met Stiles. Brooding, silent and serious as hell. Stiles came in one day, demanding to see the guy who owned the gym, shouting at Derek, not knowing he was the owner about how he knew one of Derek’s sisters and how he needs to speak to Derek.”

Erica frowns slightly as she questions him softly, “What was wrong with his sister?”

The guy turns to her and grins. “She stole his curly fries.”

A small laugh escapes Erica and her eyes widen in shock.

“I know.” The guy laughs. “Anyway after about half an hour of Stiles ranting about how a girl does not mess with a man’s fries, Derek offered to buy him some if it will shut him up. And here they are…”

She looks over Derek as the man laughs at something Stiles says. They aren’t overly affectionate with one another, something Erica noticed the first day she met them but the way their eyes lock and the smiles they share, she can see they do not need to be affectionate to be _affectionate_.

“I’m Boyd, by the way.”

Erica looks over to him. He looks a little familiar now that she sees him up close.

“Uh, Erica.”

“I know. We both go to Beacon Hills.”

And with that, he gives her a small smile and then walks away.

Erica frowns after him, thinking back and then she remembers.

Vernon Boyd, the guy who made the lacrosse team but still prefers to sit alone during lunch. The people at school call him a loner, the boy with no friends…

“Hey, Erica!”

She looks away from Boyd’s retreating form over to Stiles as he waves over to her from the other side of the gym.

“You need a lift home?”

 

                                           ***

 

Nothing changes at school or at home.

As Erica makes her way towards her front door, waving her hand to Stiles as he drives off, she can tell the lights are on in the kitchen.

She walks in to see her mother making dinner and her father sitting in the lounge with the T.V on.

“Hey, mom.” She greets as she walks over to her mother.

Her mother turns around. “Hey, Erica. Where have you been?”

Erica opens her mouth to tell her mother, but her chest constrict, stopping her. She swallows and gives her mom a smile.

“I uh, I was at the library. Doing some research for a career path.”

Her mother nods, turning back to stir whatever it is she is making. “Really? Well good, we really need to go over that stuff later, okay?”

Erica smiles sadly and nods. “Yeah. I’m gonna go change and then come down for dinner.”

Her mother nod and smiles at her.

Erica makes her way to her father as he sits and watches a sports game. “Hey, dad.”

Her father turns to smile at her. “Hey, Erica.”

When he turns back to the TV, Erica takes that as her que and walks up the stairs to her room. She tosses her bag onto her bed and hops onto it. She pulls out all the paper work she gathered thanks to Derek and takes them to the small folder she has on everything there is to know about her career path.

With a small smile, she quickly changes out of her clothes and into a pair of clean ones. A loose pants and top. As she pulls her top over her head, she catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Pausing, Erica runs her eyes over her body. Though she can’t see the difference given that it has only been two week, the usual feeling of displeasure and shame that normally breaks out when she sees herself in mirrors… is strangely absent.

Smiling softly, she tugs her top over her head and makes her way downstairs. She sits down with her mom at the dinner table, listening to her talk about the day she had. Her father would occasionally walk by, whether to put his dirty dish in the sink or to get a beer.

When Erica gets to school, she can feel the judgmental stares from the other students as she walks down the halls in her sweats and a size-too-big top. However, she doesn’t shy away from them. She doesn’t look anyone in the eyes as she goes about her usual routine but doesn’t hide her face either.

She gets a smile from Stiles and Scott when she sits down in Calculus.

She gets a nod from Boyd when she walks by his table but other than that… Everything remains exactly the same.

 

                                         ***

 

Tears blind her vision as she punches the bag in front of her. She’s alone, with Boyd having left early. She doesn’t know where Stiles and Derek are but she doesn’t care. She just continues to punch, letting her anger and her pain out onto the bag.

She thinks back on today, the memory all too fresh as she delivers blow after blow after blow.

_She should have known the feeling of comfort and content wouldn’t last._

_Nothing ever does._

_As she makes her way down the hall, she hears someone snigger behind her. She knows it’s a girl but she keep her eyes in front of her. She isn’t that far from the school door, just a few more steps and then she will be free from them._

_Just a few more steps…_

_A force hits her back and her foot gets caught behind the other, causing her stumble and come crashing down onto the ground. Her shoulder hits the linoleum flooring painfully and Erica bits her lips to keep her cry in._

_“Oh, sorry. I just didn’t see you there.” A voice says above her._

_Something inside her spikes at his words. She feels every emotion that she had to withhold, suddenly break out from every single cell in her body: Anger… Pain…Loss…Neglect…Fear… Shame…_

_She pushes herself up, the anger flowing through her body causing her to ignore the pain in her knees, hips and shoulders. She turns around, her fist clenched by her sides, her eyes hardening._

_Just as she takes a step forward, she hears the doors further down the hall open and a teacher steps out. She looks behind McGarrett, her heart spiking as Mr Harris turns to look at them with his eyes narrowed. She swallows, looking around her, knowing no matter what she did they would not believe her story if she attacked McGarrett._

_“So what you gonna now? Cry to Mommy and Daddy?”_

_Mommy and Daddy?_

_Tears starts building up, because it’s true. What was she going to do? Go to her parents? Tell them once again about the bullying only to have them tell that it will blow over? That she should stay strong?_

_“Mr McGarrett. Ms Reyes… Is everything all right?”_

_Erica turns to look at Mr Harris as he looks at them with narrowed eyes._

_“Oh, yeah, Mr. Harris. Erica here just tripped and I was about to help her up.” McGarrett explains._

_Mr Harris turns to her. “Is that true?”_

_Erica opens her mouth, glancing over to McGarett who raises his eyebrows. She swallows, feeling the eyes of everyone in the hallway as they wait for her answer._

_She swallows, blinking back her tears._

_“Yeah, sir. He was just helping me.”_

_As Mr Harris walks away, she looks over to the smug expressions of everyone surrounding her._

_“Good Erica.” McGarrett mocks her._

Sobs breaks out, but she continues to punch. Ignoring her breaking heart as it pounds and pounds against her chest, letting out everything that she had held back today. Warm tears run down her face and she wishes she can run home, run into her parents’ arms. So they both can hold her but…

They aren’t her parents. They’re her _mom_ and her _dad._ Two people raising a child together…

Erica’s arms fall slack and she leans forward, pressing her forehead against the bag, letting out a heart wrenching sob. She lets everything out, feeling her body shake and quiver, become more warm and flushed. Her tears runs down her cheeks, a never-ending flow of pain and anguish.

She hears a ding.

Suddenly, something wraps around her and turns her around, pressing her face into his shoulder. She feels his fingers thread through her hair, his deep voice shushing her as she cries into his shoulder.

“Shh. It’s okay. Just let it.”

She feels another hand rubbing her back, drawing soothing circling.

“It’s okay, Erica.” Derek whispers to her. “Shh, it’s okay.”

 

                                         ***

 

“Stiles?”

Stiles looks up from where he is sitting with his laptop in front of him, a pencil hanging from his lip with another two tucked behind his ears.

It has been a two months since him and Derek found her breaking down. Since then, she has felt more relaxed, calmer. They’d let her cry that night, with Derek holding her and Stiles rubbing her back. When all her tears were up and her throat raw, they took her out for a milkshake and fries, talking and making her laugh as Stiles told her over exaggerated stories about Derek while Derek interrupted every now and then to ‘correct’ it.

“Yeah?” He asks, looking up.

She bits her lips, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear. “Err, you remember how to said, I could always ask you if I needed a lift somewhere?”

Stiles nods, taking the pencil out of his mouth.

“Well, I was hoping, if it’s not too much, if… Maybe you could take me to the mall? Just to drop me off and come pick me up again?”

“You want me to take you shopping?” Stiles asks.

Erica opens her mouth to disagree but Stiles cuts her off with a stern look.

“Okay, look, I know there is this stereotype going around that when a girl has a gay friend, he automatically goes with and they shop together. Now, while that may be true in same cases, I am Bisexual and I refuse to be a stereotype. Okay, I refuse.”

Erica frowns, opening her mouth to answer when Derek cuts her off as he takes a seat next to Stiles.

“Really? You refuse? Because I can clearly remember you being very bitchy a few times… today.”

Erica purses her lips to keep her smile in.

“Did someone ask you what you thought, Sourwolf? Eh? No? So shut the fuck up.”

Derek turns to grin at her. “And the bitch resurfaces.”

The laughter breaks from her throat and she has to look away so she isn’t laughing in their faces. She enjoys these moments the most with them, the ‘mean’ banter they have, mostly around her. She thinks it’s because the first time she truly laughed around them was when they started throwing insults back and forth to one another.

She turns to look at them again, to see Stiles grinning at her.

“But, Ms Reyes, to answer your question before I was so rudely interrupted,” He pats Derek’s thigh. “I would… Love to take you shopping. And I said take, meaning I’m going with you to the stores.”

Her lips split apart as she grins at them.

The next day, Stiles comes to pick her up and soon they are on their way to the mall. Music is playing in the background in Stiles’ jeep, adding to the comfortable silence between them.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Stiles asks as he glances over to her.

She nods.

“When I told you about Derek… You didn’t seem surprised that I was with a guy? Why was that?”

She bits her lips, thinking over his question before she cautiously replied.

“Well… Firstly I don’t make assumptions when I first meet people but… I wasn’t surprised because I saw you with him already. A while back. I think you were on a date or something but you guys were walking towards the dinner and… he had his arm around you.”

That day was also the day when her crush on Stiles… crushed her.

Nothing more is said on the subject which she appreciated.

They spend hours at the mall, with Stiles sitting patiently as she looked around. She asks him his opinion on something which he would glare at her for, stating ‘he was a dude, what would he know… but yes, that looks nice’.

She then moves to make up. Too shy to actually ask for help, Stiles does the talking for her. She gets advice on skin produces she can use and when she explained that her pills causes acne, she gets advice on creams that can help her with it. It’s a lot of money, but she makes a mental list of all the things she should buy so she can start saving up.

“So, there is one more stop we have to make, before we leave.” Stiles says, wrapping arm around her as he carries one of her bags while she carries the rest.

She follows him as he makes his way to the store. He ushers her to the seating area, telling her to wait until he came back.

When he returns, he is holding something black in his hands.

“This… is a gift from me and Derek. You can obviously change it if you don’t like it but ultimately we are buying it for you.”

Her mouth falls open as she stands up and moves closer. She touches the material gently with her fingers. With a small smile, she shrugs off her hoodie and slips on the jacket.

Stiles takes her shoulders and gently turns her around, moving her towards a full- length mirror. Erica feel tears spring to her eyes as she tugs at the leather jacket, her smiles growing as she looks at herself.

“Every Superwoman needs a badass leather jacket.”

She spins around, wrapping her arms around Stiles’ neck, smiling and laughing through the tears.

“Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Catwoman.”

 

                                                  ***

 

The next day, she wakes up earlier than usual for school and gets dressed in her new clothes. She does her make up like she had practiced the previous day. She straightened her hair the day before, so all she has to do is curl it properly.

When she is done, she moves to stand in front of her mirror. Gone is the baggy clothes and sneakers and in its place is a pair of long knee length black boots with a small heel (the people at the store told her to start small and then slowly increase the length so her feet can get used to it), a pair of black skin tight jeans, a plain white tank top and the leather jacket that Stiles bought.

She smiles widely at her reflection, taking in a calm deep breathe. Hearing a honk outside her bedroom window, she turns to grab her backpack from her bed and makes her way down stairs.

The moment she enters the room, her parents turns to stare at her with wide eyes.

She gives them a small smile. “My friend is picking me up, so I can’t stay for breakfast. Is that okay?”

Her mother runs her eyes over her outfit before nodding faintly to her.

Her father does nothing but stare.

With one last smile, she walks out of her house and towards the Jeep. She gets in, greeting Stiles with a smile when he wolf whistled at her.

She laughs. “I don’t think Derek will appreciate that.”

Stiles rolls his eyes as he backs out of the drive way. “Derek and I both still find females attractive. And my hunky boyfriend will agree with me when I say, you Erica look very attractive.”

She gives him a small smile and relaxes into the seat as they both make their way to Beacon Hills.

As they get closer, Erica starts feeling her stomach twist and turn in that uncomfortable way. Her palm starts getting sweaty and she swallows a lot more than usual, to try and wet her suddenly dried up throat.

A warm hand touches her arm and she jumps in shock. She looks around her, taking in the hundreds of smiling facing as they all walk towards the school or towards their friends.

“You okay?” Stiles asks.

She swallows, giving a shaky nod.

“Listen, Erica,” Stiles starts and Erica turns to look at him with wide brown eyes. “I know I said this all yesterday but I’m gonna say it again, okay? I know what it’s like to be bullied and what it’s like to be an outsiders… but you don’t have change for these people. Their opinions and what they think of you is nothing compared to what you think of yourself. They can take their words and shove it up their asses because you are and always have been perfect just the way you are. You know that, right?”

She nods, placing a hand over his on her arm. “I know.”

He stares at her for a beat and nod.

“You ready?” She takes in a deep breath and nods.

With one last deep breath, she opens the Jeep’s door and steps out. Nobody notices her but that doesn’t stop her heart from slamming against her chest. She licks her lips and then with Stiles by her side, she makes her way over to the school building. As she walking, slowly every eye turns to her but she keeps her eyes forward and avoids eye contact with everyone.

Her hand clutches on the strap of her bag. She sees Stiles vanish from the corner of her eyes as he falls behind her the closer they get to the school building, as she had asked him to do.

She needs to do this alone.

As she walks into the school building, every single eye lands on her. She doesn’t look at anyone, but the sounds of her heels hitting the floor echoes through the entire building but still, she keeps walking.

Every step is a little firm and more confident that the last one.

She hears the whispers and the murmuring around her and for once she doesn’t care.

For once she is taking control of her own life.

Because it’s no longer about them… It’s no longer about the expectations people have of her and the idea they all had of her and it’s no longer about the way they all saw her.

It’s about her.

It’s about how she feel about herself.

She is Erica Reyes...

The Invisible Girl, who, when looking in the mirror, sees the girl whom she has always wanted to be.

A Fighter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.
> 
> Title By Sia's- I'm Alive


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